Starting control mechanism for internal-combustion engines



March 2, 1948. H. E. PETERSEN STARTING CONTROL MECHANISM FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed NOV. 19, 1945 2 Sheejts-Sheet 1 A TTORNE YS.

March 2, 1948. H. E. PETERSEN A 2 7, 1

STARTING CONT-50L MEcHANisM FOR INTERNAP-COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Nov. 19, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 6

A TTORNE Y5.

Patented Mar. 2, 1 948 STARTING CONTROL MECHANISM FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES Harry E. Petersen, Waterloo, Iowa, assignor to Deere Manufacturing 00., a corporation of Iowa Application November 19, 1945, Serial No. 629,614

12 Claims. (01. 123-179) The present invention relates generally to internal combustion engines and more particularly to control mechanism for starting an engine, and is especially adapted for starting engines of the Diesel type, although not necessarily limited to this use. Certain engines, particularly Diesel engines, are inherently difiicult to start in cold weather, which necessitates turning the engine for extended periods before combustion takes place. It is common practice to start 2. Diesel engine by turning the latter for several minutes by means of an auxiliary internal combustion engine whose water cooling system is connected to circulate water through the jackets of the Diesel engine for the purpose of warming the latter and also establishing a flow of lubricating oil through the Diesel engine lubricating system, with provision for further heat transfer from the starting engine exhaust gases to the Diesel engine, until the latter is warm enough to run under its own power. It is also common practice to relieve the compression in the cylinders of the Diesel engine during the warming up period by holding open the exhaust valves in the cylinders of the Diesel engine to relieve the torque load on the starting engine. Obviously, before the Diesel engine can be started, it is necessary to start the auxiliary engine, bring the latter up to speed, and allow it to warm up sufiiciently to deliver enough power to start the Diesel engine. These operations require several control elements which must be operated in the proper sequence in order to accomplish the desired results without damaging the engines and'the power transmitting connections therebetween, and therefore one of the principal objects of the present invention relates to the provision of novel and improved starting mechanism, which is simple and easily understandable to the average operator, and which is so interrelated that improper operation thereof cannot be efiected.

More specifically, an object of this invention relates to the provision of a system of starting controls, which includes interlocking devices between the various controls for preventing an improper sequence of operations.

According to the present invention, the starting engine is connected to the Diesel engine by means of a gear and pinion which can be shifted into and out of meshing relation, in series with a manually operated clutch by which the starting engine can be gradually connected to the Diesel engine to bring the latter up to speed after the starting engine has been brought up to speed and run for a short time to become warm. Thus, since the starting pinion can be shifted out of mesh with the gear on the Diesel engine, and. also disconnected from the starting engine by means of the clutch, it is desirable to provide means for braking the pinion to bring the latter to rest before it is shifted into mesh with the Diesel engine starting gear. Furthermore, it is desirable that the starting engine clutch be engaged while the starting engine is being warmed before it is connected to the Diesel engine, in order to prevent glazing the clutch facings, but it is obvious that the pinion braking means should be released before the clutch is engaged. A further specific object of this inventoin, therefore, has to do with .the provision of interlock means toprevent engaging the clutch before the pinion braking means has been released.

Conversely, a still further object relates to the provision of interlocking means to prevent the engagement of the pinion braking means after the clutch has been engaged' After the starting engine has been warmed, the main engine is then rotated by first disengaging thestarting engine clutch, shifting the starting pinion into engagement with the starting gear of the main engine, relieving the compression in the cylinders of the main Diesel engine, and then engaging the starting engine clutch. Thus, the starting engine rotates the Diesel engine until the water in the cylinder jackets of the latter has been warmed by heat transferred from the cylinders of the starting engine and from the starting engine exhaust gases, after which the main engine is ready to run under its own power. The fuel feed is then turned on and compression is restored to cylinders of the Diesel engine by releasing the exhaust valves of the latter and allowing them to be opened and closed in the proper sequence by the cam shaft. This causes the Diesel engine to begin to fire and comeup to its full speed under its own power. At this time, it is of course necessary to disconnect the starting en'- gine from the Diesel engine to prevent the latter from driving the starting engine at an excess speed, and the pinion must be shifted out of mesh with the starting gear. The braking means is then applied to stop the pinion from rotating, but not until the pinion is disconnected from the starting engine by means of the clutch. Therefore, it is still another object of the present invention to provide means for simply and automatically performing these functions with a minimum of attention from the operator.

In the accomplishment of this object, the starting engine is connected with the pinion through an overrunning clutch of conventional type, so that when the Diesel engine starts to run under its own power and drives the pinion at a speed higher than that of the starting engine, the overrunning clutch prevents the latter from being driven at the higher speed. Resilient means, such as a spring, is provided for shifting the pinion out of mesh with the starting gear and applying the pinion brake, but the latter is automatically prevented by the above men tioned interlocking means from being applied until the starting motor clutch is disconnected, after which the resilient means acts automatically to apply the pinion brake.

Inasmuch as the pinion must be free to shift out of mesh with the starting gear under the action of the spring, it is necessary to hold the pinion in mesh with the gear, against the action of the spring, while the Diesel engine is being rotated at idling speed. Hence, another object of the present invention relates to the provision of means for so holding the pinion in engagement with the gear, which holding means is automatically released when the main Diesel engine is conditioned for operating under its own power.

In the accomplishment of this object, the pinion is held in meshing relation by means controlled by the same control element which con trols the exhaust valves of the'Diesel engine for relieving the compression from the cylinders of the latter, with the result that when compression is restored to the Diesel cylinders, the starting motor pinion is automatically released, to permit the resilient means to shift it out of mesh with the starting gear.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the following description, in which reference is had to the drawings appended hereto, in which Figure 1 is a simplified diagram of the Diesel engine, the starting engine, and the connections therebetween;

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view showing the control mechanism and portions of the power transmitting connections between the starting engine and the Diesel engine;

Figure 3 is an elevational sectional view taken along a line 3-4 in Figure 2, showing the pinion shifting mechanism and interlocks associated therewith;

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the control mechanism;

Figure 5 is a sectional elevational view taken along a line 55 in Figure 2; and

Figure 6 is a rear elevational view of the control lever assembly, as viewed from the right hand side of Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawings, the main Diesel engine is indicated in its entirety by reference numeral 5, and is indicated diagrammatically as having cylinders l and a crank case 8, out of which extends the main crank shaft 9 from both ends thereof. A coupling member if! is provided for transmitting the power from the Diesel engine ii to any suitable connected load (not shown). The other end of the crank shaft 9 has a starting gear ii mounted thereon.

The starting motor is indicated by reference numeral i5 and comprises a small internal combustion engine, preferably of the gasoline burning type, and is shown as having a single cylinder l5 mounted on a crank case 51. The heat transfer connections between the starting motor l5 and the Diesel engine 6 are not shown, inasmuch as they do not form a part of the present invention.

The starting motor i5 is connected to drive the Diesel engine 6 through a starting pinion Id mounted on a drive shaft 19, which is splined to prevent relative rotation between the shaft and the pinion 13, but which permits axial sliding movement of the latter into and out of meshing engagement with the starting gear H.

The drive shaft i9 is provided in two sections, interconnected by an overrunning clutch 28 of conventional design, which insures that power can be transmitted from the starting motor it? through the pinion it to the starting gear H to drive the crank shaft t of the Diesel engine, but the clutch 2i prevents power from being transmitted from the main engine 6 back to the starting engine 15 to drive the latter at excessive speeds after the main engine has started to run under its own power. Bearings 2i, 22 are provided for rotatably supporting the adjacent ends of the shaft sections I9, iii, and the splined shaft section IQ of the drive shaft is supported at its outer end in a bearing 23, which is fixed to the crank case 8 of the Diesel engine '6.

The starting engine It: is connected to drive the section iii of the drive shaft through a manually operated clutch, indicated generally by reference numeral 25, and comprises a driving clutch plate 28 connected to the engine i5 and a driven clutch plate 2'! keyed or splined to a hub 26, which is non-rotatably mounted on the shaft section i9. The clutch plates 26, ii! are engaged by means of a clutch collar 29, keyed to the shaft section it. and axially slidable thereon. The clutch collar 29 is provided with radially outwardly extending lugs 36, each of which car ries a link 3! pivoted on a pin 32' and pivotally connected at 33 at its outer end to a bell crank 3d, the latter being swingably mounted on a pivot 35 on the hub 28 and having an abutment which bears against the shiftable clutch plate 2?. When the clutch collar 29 is shifted outwardly away from the clutch plates, the links 3| swing the abutment 38 'away from the bearing engagement against the clutch plates 2'! and thus relieve pressure between the plates, thereby disengaging the clutch. Conversely, when the clutch. collar 25 is shifted axially toward the clutch plates, the bell crank 3 is shifted about the supporting axis 35 and the abutment 3 5 is forced against the clutch plate 2? to force it into engagement with the plate 28 and is held in that relation by the overcenter arrangement of the link 3-! when the pivot 32 shifts inwardly of the pivot 33. The collar 29 is shifted by means of a bearing collar 3'1, encircling the shaft I9 and collar 29 and carried on the latter on an anti friction bearing 33. A U-shaped shifting fork 3% is mounted on a shaft i t, the ends of the-fork 39 being received within recesses ii in the bearing collar 3?. The fork 3%. is shifted anguiariy by means of an actuating arm as for the purpose of shifting the bearing collar 3'! axially of the shaft it. A clutch control rod 43 is pivotally connected by a pin Hi to the end of the actuating arm #2 and is shiftable longitudinally to swing the arm t2 and the fork 39.

The pinion iii is provided with an integral extension 59 On one side thereof, the outer end of the extension Ed-bein provided with a flange 5i,

defining an annulargroove between the flange 51 .5 and the body of the pinion I8. This groove is adapted to receive a pair of shifting arms 52 mounted on downwardly extending levers 53, which are secured to a transverse rockshaft 54, which is journaled in a position above the pinion I8, and is provided with an actuating arm 55 for rocking the rockshaft 54 and thereby shifting the pinion I8 axially of the splined shaft I 9. The outer face of the flange serves as a frictional braking surface 58, which is adapted to'bear against a stationary braking surface 5! rigidly fixed to the stationary bearing 23 on the crank case of the Diesel engine. Thus, when the pinion I8 is shifted to its extreme outward position on the splined shaft I9, the two braking surfaces 56, 51 are disposed in engagement with each other to hold the pinion I8 stationary. However, the latter can be shifted inwardly toward the gear I I to disengage the braking surfaces 59, 51 before the pinion I8 engages the gear II, constituting an intermediate idling position between the braking and driving or meshing position.

The outer end of the actuating arm 55 is pivotally connected to a generally vertically extending link 58, the-lower end of which is pivoted to one arm 59 of a bell crank swingably'supported on a pin 89 and having an upwardly extending arm 5|, which is pivoted at 62 to a control rod 63. A tension spring 64 is connected to the arm 59 of the bell crank and extends downwardly therefrom and is anchored by means of a bolt 65 to any suitable stationary support. The tension of the spring 84 urges the bell crank arm 59 and link 58 downwardly, thereby urging the pinion I8 away from the starting gear II and forcing the two braking surfaces 56, 5'! together in engagement to hold the pinion I8 stationary, together with the shaft I 9. Thus, it is necessary to overcome the tension of the spring 54 in order to shift the bell crank arm 59 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 4, to shift the pinion I8 into mesh with the gear I I The remote end of the clutch operating rod 43 is pivotally connected by a bolt 79 to a clutch control lever 'II having a hub I2 which is journaled on a shaft I3. The shaft I3 is journaled in a hub 14 formed integrally with a supporting casting I5, which is rigidly fixed to a horizontal support I6 by means of vertically extending bolts Tl. By swinging the lever II forwardly, the clutch 25 is disengaged, and by swinging the lever II rearwardly, the clutch plates 26, 21 can be locked together in engagement The pinion shifting rod 63 is secured to a clevis 89 which is pivoted at 8| to a lug 82 on a control lever 83, which is rigidly fixed by a pin 84 to the transverse supporting shaft I3.

A third control lever 85 is journaled on the shaft 13, and is provided with a forwardly extending arm 88 which is connected to a link 81 by a pivot pin 88. The link 81 is pivotally connected at 89 to one arm 99 of a bell crank including a hub 9|, and a downwardly extending arm 92. The hub 9| is supported on a shaft 93, which extends into the casting 15 and is fixed thereto. The lower end of the downwardly extending arm 92 is pivotedat 94 to a clevis 95 connected to a control rod 96, which extends into the crank case 8 of the engine 9 and is connected to the mechanism which holds open the exhaust valves of the Diesel cylinders to relieve the pressure therein. This mechanism is well known to those skilled in theart and therefore no detailed showing or description is contained herein. Thus, it is evident that when the decompression control. lever is swung rearwardly, or to the right, as viewed in Figures 4 and 5, the bell crank arms 99, 92 are swung in a counter clockwise direction to apply a tensional force on the rod 96, which results in the opening of the exhaust valves in the Diesel cylinder and thus relievingthe compression therein. The decompression control lever 85 is provided with a stop lug 91, which is adapted to engage a vertically adjustable stop 98 in the form of a bolt threaded into a suitable recess in the horizontal support I6 and secured in adjusted position by a lock nut 99. The stop bolt 98 is adjusted so that when the lever 85 is pulled back, the arm 86 and link 81 provide a toggle lock, which holds the lever 85 against the stop bolt 98, inasmuch as the intermediate pivot 88 is above a straight line joining the axes of the pivots I3, 89, as is evident from Figure 5, whereby the Diesel cylinders are relieved of their compression until the control lever 85 is again moved forwardly by the operator.

An arm I is formed integrally with a hub I 96, which is supported on the shaft I3 outwardly of the control lever 85 and rigidly fixed thereto by means of a securing pin I9'I (see Figure 6). Since the arm I95 and the pinion control lever 83 are both fixed to the shaft 13, while the other levers II, 85 are journaled thereon, it follows that the arm I95 moves angularly with the lever 83. This arm I95 moves upwardly to a substantially horizontal position, as shown in Figure 5, when the pinion shifting lever 83 is moved rearwardly, in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 4, to shift the starting pinion I8 into meshing relation with the starting gear I I. When the decompression control lever 85 is moved rearwardly, the lower arm 92 of the bell crank is shifted rearwardly in a counter clockwise direction, and this arm 92 is provided with a rearwardly extending shoulder I 98 which is thus swung into engagement with the end of the arm I95, to prevent the latter from swinging downwardly. This acts to retain the pinion control lever 89 in active position, and therefore holds the starting pinion I8 in mesh with the gear II against the pressure of the tension spring 64 which tends to shift the pinion I8 out of mesh with the gear II. Thus, it will be evident that after the pinion I8 has been shifted into meshing relation, the movement of the decompression control lever 85 into idling position, holding the exhaust valves of the Diesel cylinders open, acts to retain the starting pinion I8 in mesh with the starting gear II, and is locked in this position by-the overcenter relation of the toggle link 81 and arm 86. Then, when the decompression control lever 85 is swung forwardly to restore compression in the cylinders of the Diesel engine, the shoulder I98 is moved out of engagement with the arm I95, thereby permitting the spring 64 to pull the pinion control lever 83 and rod 96 forwardly, thereby disengaging the starting pinion I8 from the starting gear I I.

The starting pinion I8 is interlocked with the action of the starting motor clutch 25 by means of a pair of interengageable lugs or plates I I9, I I I. The lug H9 is rigidly fixed, as by welding, to the vertical link 58 which controls the pinion shifting mechanism, and extends vertically along the link 58 on the side adjacent the horizontal clutch control rod 43. The interlock lug I II is formed integrally with a hub or collar H2, which is slidable longitudinally of the clutch control rod 43, but is securable in adjusted position by means of a set screw H3. The lug I II is disposed in a horizontal position on the side of the 7 rod 43 adjacent the vertical link 58, and the two lugs Ill], III are so positioned that they interfere with each other to prevent certain sequences of relative movements of the. two control elements 43, 53, as will be explained.

Figures 2 and 4 show the positions of the various parts when both the starting motor and, the Diesel engine arestationary. First, the starting motor I5 must be started in any manner available for starting a gasoline engine, such as, a hand crank, electric starting motor, or other suitable device. It would notbe proper to immediately engage the clutch 25, for the braking surfaces 55, El arenow being held in engagement by the tension of the spring fi l, and therefore, should the starting motor clutch 25 be engaged, the starting pinion IS would be rotated against the frictional resistance of the braking surfaces, resulting in damage to the latter. However, inadverent engagement of the clutch 25 is prevented by the fact that the rear end of the horiz'ontal lug Hi is in engagement with the side of the vertical lug Hi3, so that the latter prevents the clutch control rod 43, from moving rear wardlyto engage the clutch. The vertical interlock Ilii can, however, be shifted upwardly to clear the horizontal lug HI by swinging the pinion control lever 83 rearwardly, thereby shifting the link 53 upwardly until the lower end of the vertical lug lit is above the horizontal lug Iii. This movement of the lever 83 also shifts the pinion I8 toward the starting gear I separatin the braking surfaces 55, 5'5, but without engagins the teeth of the pinion I8 and gear Il, thereby leaving the pinion 1B in its intermediate or idling position, Now the clutch control lever 7,! can be swung rearwardly to engage the clutch plates 26, 21, whereupon the starting engine 55 can be brought up to its normal operating speed without any glazing of the clutch plates 26,, 2?, which would otherwise result if the plates were allowed to rotate with respect to each other. In this position, the horizontal lug Ill has moved rearwardly under the lower end of the vertical lug IIU, preventing the latter from shifting downwardly, and thereby holding the pinion la in intermediate position against the tension of the spring fi l, which tends to shift the braking surfaces 56, 51 into engagement with each other. The pinion It is now rotating at the speed of the starting engine I5, which is allowed to warm, up slightly in order that it will be able to start the Diesel engine 6.

The next step is to shift the pinion I8 into mesh with the starting gear II, but since the pinion is rotating with the starting engine, it must first be brought to rest before it can be shifted into mesh, therefore the clutch 25 should first be disengaged by swinging the clutch lever H forwardly, thereby moving the horizontal lug I I I out -from under the end of the vertical lug no. This permits the spring 6 1 to swing the arm 59 and link 53 downwardly, thereby Shifting the pinion i8 and its braking surface 55 outwardly into en gagement with the braking surface 51 to brin the pinion I8 to rest. The pinion control lever 83 is then swung rearwardly to mesh the pinion it: with the gear ii, both of which are now stationary, In case the teeth on the pinion and gear interfere with each other and do :not move readily into meshing engagement, the clutch lever it can be move'dyslight'ly to engage the lutch 25 sufliciently to rotate the pinion is until it can be shifted into mesh with the gear l I, but

the operator must hold the pinion in meshing 2 engagement'against the. tension. of the spring 64 to prevent the latter from shifting the, pinion away from thestarting gear I I.

The operator now swings the decompression lever Etrearwardly, thereby relieving the, compression from the Diesel cylinders and also bringing the retaining shoulder Hi3 under the end, of the interlock arm i135, thereby holding the pin,- ion l8 in mesh with the gear II, and with the lug ill in engagement with the stop bolt 98, the toggle action of the link til and arm 86, will hold the decompression lever in decompressed position, permitting the operator to release both 16- vers $3, and devotes his entire attention to starting the. Diesel engine by manipulating the clutch lever TI. The, clutch is locked in engaged position by the toggle action of the link 3], whereby the starting engine I5 will now turn the Diesel engine 6, without further attention from the op,- erator, for as long a period as, is necessary to warm the Diesel engine and establish the proper how of lubricating oil through the various bearingsl When the operator is ready to start the Diesel engine running under its own power, he merely shifts the decompression lever 85 forwardly, restoring compression to the Diesel cylinders and at the same time he turns on the fuel feed by means of other control mechanism not shown herein, whereupon the Dies l engine starts to fire and increases its speed above that at which it was being turned by the starting engine. This movement is not transmitted to the starting engine, however, in view of the overrunning clutch at which connects the shaft sections I9, Hi. This relieves the load from the starting engine, however, and also from the pinion i8 and gear It, whereupon the pinion I8 is rotated by the starting gear H, but is shifted out of mesh therewith by the action of the spring 54, for it is obvious that when the compression is restored to the Diesel cylinders, the retaining shoulder N38 is retracted from the arm m5 and release the pinion control lever 83 to permit the disengagement of the pinion from the gear I l.

The starting motor clutch 25 is still engaged, however, so that the pinion is shifted until the vertical interlock lug l Ill drops into engagement with the top of the horizontal lug lII, thereby preventing the pinion It? to shift far enough ou wardly to engage the braking surfaces 56, 5'5. Now the operator can either shut off the starting engine, leaving the clutch 25 engaged, or he can disengage the clutch 25, whereupon the spring 5d "will shift the pinion l8 until the braking surfaces 55, 51' engage and stop the pinion 18, after which the starting engine can be shut down and the starting operation is complete.

It is to be understood that this invention is not intended to be limited to the particular arrangement shown'and described herein, except as set forth in the claims which follow. For example, the control rod 96 and lever 35 connected thereto need not be connected to the decompression mechanism, but may be connected to any other mechanism, such as the fuel feed mechanism, which initiates the firing of the Diesel engine.

I claim:

1. In starting mechanism for an internal combustion engine having a starting gear, the com bination of .a starting motor, a drive shaft, a clutch for disengageably connecting said starting motor with said drive shaft, a pinion mounted on said drive shaft to be driven thereby and shiitable axially thereon into and out of engagement with said starting gear, means for braking said pinion and drive shaft responsive to shifting said pinion away from said drive gear, and control elements connected with said clutch and said pinion, respectively, said elements having parts interengageable when said braking means is in braking position to prevent movement of said clutch control element into clutch engaging position, said parts being disengaged by moving said pinion control element to disengage said braking means.

2. In starting mechanism for an internal combustion engine having a starting gear, the combination of a starting motor, a drive shaft, a clutch for disengageably connecting said starting motor with said drive shaft, a pinion mounted on said drive shaft to be driven thereby and shiftable axially thereon into and out of engagement with said starting gear, means for braking said pinion and drive shaft, a first control element associated with said pinion and braking means and shiftable in one direction first to disengage said pinion from said starting gear and then to apply said braking means, and shiftable in the opposite direction first to release said braking means and then to engage said pinion with said starting gear in driving relation, and a second control element shiftable to engage or disengage said clutch, said first control element having a part which interferes with clutch engaging movement of said second control element when said braking means is engaged but is disabled by shift ing said first control element to disengage said braking means.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2, including the further provision that said second control element has a part which interferes with movement of said first control element toward brake applying position when said clutch is engaged but is disabled by shifting said second control element to disengage said clutch.

4. In starting mechanism for an internal combustion engine having a starting gear, the combination of a starting motor, a drive shaft, a clutch for disengageably connecting said starting motor with said drive shaft, a pinion mounted on said drive shaft to be driven thereby and shiftable axially thereon into and out of engagement with said starting gear, said pinion having a frictional braking surface on one side thereof, a stationary frictional braking surface adapted to coact with said pinion braking surface when said pinion is shifted axially away from said starting gear, a first control element connected with said pinion to shift the latter from an intermediate neutral position in one direction into mesh with said starting gear and in the other direction to engage said brake surfaces to stop said pinion from rotating, a second control element connected with said clutch for shifting the latter between disengaged and engaged positions and having a stop member engageable with a cooperative stop member on said first control element when the latter is in brake applying position, said stop members being disengaged by shifting said pinion to said intermediate position.

5. The combination set forth in claim 4, including the further provision that said stop member on said first control element is adapted to engage said stop member on said second control element when the latter is in clutch engaging position to prevent said pinion to be shifted to brake applying position.

6. In starting mechanism for an internalcombustion engine having a, starting gear, the comc 10 bination of a starting motor, a drive shaft, a clutch for disengageably connecting said starting motor with said drive shaft, a pinion mounted on said drive shaft to be driven thereby and shiftable axially thereon into and out of engagement with said starting gear, means for braking said pinion and drive shaft responsive to shifting said pinion away from said drive gear, and a pair of control rods connected with said clutch and said pinion, respectively, for actuating the same by longitudinal movement of said rods, said rods being disposed generally perpendicular to each other and having stop members rigidly mounted thereon, said stop member on said clutch control rod being engageable with said stop member on said pinion control rod when the latter is inbrake applying position, to prevent shifting said clutch control rod toward clutch engaging position and said stop member on said pinion control rod being engageable with said stop memberon said clutch control rod when the latter is in engaged position to prevent said braking means from being applied.

7. The combination set forth in claim 6, farther characterized in that said stop members comprise platesfixed to said rods in longitudinally extending position and so arranged that the end of one plate engages the side of the other plate to prevent engaging said clutch when said pinion braking means is applied, and the end of said other plate engages the side of said one plate to prevent applying said pinion braking means when said clutch is engaged.

8. The combination set forth in claim 6, including the further rovision of resilient means urging said pinion axially away from meshing engagement with said starting gear to the position determined by said stop member on said clutch control rod, said resilient means being adapted to shift said pinion further, upon disengagement of said clutch, to apply said braking means.

9. In starting mechanism for an internal combustion engine having a starting gear, the combination of a starting motor, a drive shaft, a clutch for disengageably connecting said starting motor with said drive shaft, a pinion mounted on said drive shaft to be driven thereby and shiftable axially thereon into and out of engagement with said starting gear, means for braking said pinion and drive shaft responsive to shifting said pinion away from said drive gear, a clutch control element connected to actuate said clutch and movable to engaged and disengaged positions, a pinion control element for shifting said pinion from an intermediate disconnected position in either of two opposite directions to a pinion meshing position and to a pinion braking position, respectively, spring means urging said pinion away from said starting'gear, an ignition control lever for said engine shiftable between idling and firing positions, means locking said ignition control lever in said idling position, a pair of interengageable members associated with said control elements, respectively, and cooperableto prevent said pinion control element from moving to said pinion braking position when said clutch control element is in said engaged position and to prevent said clutch control element from moving to said engaged position when said pinion control element is in said pinion braking position, and a pair of interengageable members associated with said ignition control lever and said pinion control element, respectively, and cooperable to hold said pinion in said meshing position against the action'of saidspring means when sai-dignition control lever is in said idling position.

10. In starting mechanism for an internalcombustion engine having a starting gear, the combination of astarting motor, a drive shaft, an overrunning clutch connecting said motor with said drive shaft to disconnect said motor when said engine tends to drive said motor, a pinion mounted on said 'dIiVe shaft to be driven thereby and shiftable axially thereon into and out of engagement withsaid starting gear, a pinion controlelement for shifting said pinion, spring means urgingsaid pinion away from said starting gear, arr-ignition control lever for'said engine shiftable between idlingand firing positions, means releasably retaining said lever in said idling position, and a pair-of interengageable members associated with said ignition control lever and said pinion control element, respectively, and cooperable to hold said pinion in -mesh with saidgear against the action of said spring means when said igni- 'tion control lever is in said idling position, said members being disengageable responsive to movement of .said lever to said ,firing position, whereby saidspring means is operable to shift said pinion ont of'mesh with said gear. Y

11.. Instarting mechanismforan internal cornbustion engine having a starting gear, the combination of a starting motor having a driveshait, a pinionmounted on saidrdrive shaft to be driven thereby and shiftable into and out of mesh with said starting gear, a pinion control element for shifting said pinion, meansbiasing saidgpinion away from said starting gear, an engine control element shiftable between idling and running -positions for initiating the operation of said engine "under its own power, means releasably retaining saidelementin said idling position, anda pair of interengageable members associated with said control elements, respectively, and cooperable to hold said pinion in mesh with said gear against the action of said biasing means, when said engine controlelement isin said idling position, said members being disengageable responsive to movement of said engine control element tosaid-ru-nning position, whereby vsaidbiasing means-is operable to shift said pinion out of mesh withsaid gear.

12 In starting mechanism 'for'an-internal combustion engine having a starting gear, the combination of a startingmotor having a drive shaft, a pinion mounted .on said drive shaft to be driven thereby, said pinion and said gear being relatively shiftable into and out of mesh with each other, a meshing control element for controlling said relative shifting movement, an engine control element shiftable between idling and running positions for initiating the operation of said engine under its own power, means .releasably locking said element in said idling position, .and'holding means released bymoving said-engine control element to said running position .for retaining said pinion in'meshing relation when saidenginecontrol element is lockedin idling position.

l-IARRY -E. PETERSEN. 

